Rebels Beats Ironmen to Secure Spot in WPIAL 2A Championship

Tagged under: District 7, Gameday Hub, News, Playoffs

Ryan Thielet | November 16, 2024

The Seton LaSalle Rebels secured their spot at Acrisure Stadium next Saturday with a commanding performance, shutting down the Steel Valley Ironmen’s offense. The Rebels did all their scoring in the first half, racking up 27 unanswered points to take a commanding 27-0 lead into halftime. Steel Valley got on the board at the 10:15 mark of the third quarter, narrowing the gap to 27-7. They added the game’s final points late in the third quarter, but a dominant defensive effort by the Rebels in the fourth quarter, coupled with a costly fumble by the Ironmen, sealed the victory. The Rebels advanced to the WPIAL finals with a final score of 27-13.

The Rebels won the coin toss and elected to receive the opening kickoff. They wasted no time getting on the board, with Logan king scoring the first of his three touchdowns on their opening drive, giving the Rebels a 7-0 lead with 9:37 left in the first quarter. The next score wouldn’t come until the closing seconds of the quarter. With just 12.7 seconds remaining, Logan king struck again, notching his second touchdown. The Rebels attempted a two-point conversion but came up short, ending the first quarter with a 13-0 lead.

The Rebels continued their dominant performance by forcing a fumble, which Jaylen Smith recovered. Capitalizing on the turnover, Khalil Taylor found the end zone with 6:10 left in the half, extending the Rebels’ lead to 20-0. The Ironmen’s struggles continued their next drive, which included another costly fumble that handed possession back to the Rebels. Once again, the Rebels took advantage, with Logan king completing a first-half hat trick, scoring his third touchdown with just 45 seconds remaining. This extended the Rebels’ commanding lead to 27-0. The Ironmen attempted a final drive before halftime, but Jake Ranft intercepted the ball as the clock hit zero, sending both teams into the locker room with the Rebels leading 27-0.

The Ironmen showed resilience in the second half, holding the Rebels scoreless while adding two touchdowns. The first came on a powerful run by Da’Ron Barksdale, cutting the deficit to 27-7 with 10:15 left in the third quarter.

As the quarter wound down, Barksdale struck again, scoring his second touchdown on the final play of the third. However, the extra point attempt was unsuccessful, leaving the score at 27-13 heading into the fourth quarter.

The final quarter featured no scoring but showcased the Rebels’ defensive dominance. They shut down the Ironmen’s offense, forcing a turnover on downs and recovering another fumble. Following the fumble recovery, the Rebels controlled the clock, running off three minutes to secure their spot in the WPIAL 2A championship at Acrisure Stadium next Saturday afternoon.

Steel Valley will end their season with a record of 9-4 with only one loss in conference play.

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